The Making of an Old Soul: Aging as the Fulfillment of Life’s Promise is the healing vision of a woman who is a scholar in the fields of adult and spiritual development as well as a lifelong seeker. Based on a mystical experience that sheds light on the entire arc of life, Orsborn’s latest work revisions age not as diminishment but as the fulfillment of life’s promise. Bursting through the stereotypes into a world of old souls, Orsborn shows you how to embrace the luminous spirit within that beats steadily beyond the wounds of childhood, beyond the unintended consequences of your best-intentions, beyond the twists and turns of fate over which even at the peak of the developmental pyramid you have no control. This gem of a book affirms that hope is merited and that seekers of all ages and circumstances have what it takes to grow not just old, but old souls.
Carol Orsborn, Ph.D. is a recognized thought leader in the field of Conscious Aging and author of 30 books translated into 15 languages, including her most recent book, Older, Wiser, Fiercer: The Wisdom Collection. Her award-winning book, The Spirituality of Age: A Seeker's Guide to Growing Older, coauthored with Harvard psychologist Robert Weber, Ph.D., won Gold in the 2015 Nautilus Book Awards in the category of Aging Consciously. Orsborn is chief archivist at Fierce with Age, the Digest of Boomer Wisdom, Inspiration and Spirituality housed at CarolOrsborn.com. She also founded and co-leads the Sage-ing International Book Club. For the past 40 years, Orsborn has been a compelling voice of her generation, interviewed on Oprah, The Today Show, CBS Morning News, and The Shift Network, and in the New York Times, and many others. She has spoken frequently at the American Society of Aging, Sage-ing International, the Shift Network, and the Positive Aging Conference. Dr. Orsborn, a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, received her Master of Theological Studies from Vanderbilt Divinity School and Doctorate in History and Critical Theory of Religion from Vanderbilt University specializing in the areas of adult and spiritual development, and ritual studies. She serves on the community leadership Board of Visitors of Vanderbilt Divinity School. She is a certified spiritual counselor with postgraduate work in Spiritual Counseling at the New Seminary in Manhattan, Stillpoint, and the Spirituality Center at Mount St. Mary's College. A former top marketer, helping brands like Ford, Humana, and Prudential build relationships with the boomer generation, she is now committed to both living and expanding awareness of aging as a spiritual path. Dr. Orsborn lives on the banks of the Cumberland River in Madison, Tennessee with her husband of over fifty years, Dan.